Vending machine



w. BETTS VENDING MACHINE filed. Dec.' 192x 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY;

' citizen of the Patented July 3, 1923.

omrsn srarss rarsnr @FFIQE.

WILLIM BETIS 'OF JOHNSON CITY, NEW YORK.

VENDING MACHINE.

Application filed mate, a, 1921. Serial H 0, 521,142.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known' that. I, WILLIAM Bn'r'rs, a United States, residing at inthe county of Broome and Johnson City,

York, have invented certaln State of New new and useful Improvements inVending Machines, of which the following is a speci- 'fication.

This invention appertains to'certain improvements in vending machinesgenerally,

and more particularly to a type of the same adapted for the sale anddelivery of cigacoin within a 'calities, and

like upon the insertion of a coin slot leading to the operatingmechanism thereof. Y

It is customary in the practice of selling articles of merchandise orthe like, by vending machines, for the manufacturer of the latter, or ofthe articles of merchandise, or of both, to place the machines invarious 10- generally at established business houses or stores, paying apercentage of the money collected by the machine or machines, to theproprietors of suchbusiness houses or stores for the privilege ofpublicly rettes or the displaying the machines for the sale'of the 'llne7--7 of Figure 4,

woods therein contained, for the space occupied by the machine ormachines, and for the general supervision and protection thereofafforded the same by such proprietors.

In the present constructions of these machines, the money collected bythe same has, in every known instance, been discharged from theoperating mechanism thereof into a single coin compartment, wherebyafgreat deal of time is lost in the counting o the, coins, at the end ofstated periods. of opera tion of the machines, and the separationtherefrom of the percentage of the total amount of money collected anddue the proprietor of the business houses or stores as aforesaid. Y

The principal object of the invention is therefore to provide for avending machine of the class mentioned, and one wherein a novel means isprovided for effecting an automatic division of the coins inserted intoa tively actuated for thedelivery of an article by the insertion of agenuine coin of required value into the coin slot leading to the saiddelivery mechanism. 4

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages 1n view, theinvention resides in the certain novel and useful construction,arrangement and operation of the parts thereof as will be hereinaftermore fully de- 6 scribed, set forth in the appended claims, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view ofa preferred embodiment of a machine constructed andarranged for the vending of cigarettes,

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof,

Figure 3 is a side or end elevation of the same,

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a. vertical section taken on the line-5--5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4,

Figure 7 is a vertical section taken on the Figure 8 is a fragmentaryvertical section taken on the line 88 of Figure 2,

Figure 9 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 99 of Figure 8,

Figure 10 is a perspective view,partly in section, of the assembly ofthe coin contreilled article delivery mechanism per se, an

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary detail ofthe coin switch foreffecting the se aration of the coins collected by the machine on thepredetermined percentage basis of division thereof as aforesaid.

Referring to the drawings, wherein similar characters of referencedesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, thepreferred embodiment of the invention .as shown therein comprises acabinet or encasement formed to provide a base portion 10 having itsinterior divided in the ongitudinal direction thereof by means of 11,whereby to I the reception less width than that of the lower lpore f a-tion thereof and forms within its compartment 16 for the reception ofthe articles a such as cigarettes or the like, to be vended from themachine as will be hereinafter fully explained, a removable closure 17being provided at the upper end of the portion 15 for the initialfilling of'the compartment 16 with the said articles a and thereplenishing of the supply thereof as desired or necessary during thecontinued use of the machine. The opposite vertical end walls of theportion 15 of the cabinet are spaced inwardly of the opposite end wallsof the base portion 10, and formed at each side of these first mentionedend walls, and

outwardly thereof, are closed compartments 18 and 19 for the receptionof certain of the cooperative parts of the coin controlled articledelivery mechanism as will be subsequently described in detail. Thefront and rear walls 20 and 21 of the upper portion 15 of the cabinetare preferably of glass, whereby to fully display to the public thearticles contained within the compartment 16, and so that it can bereadily determined as to the number'of the articles therein beingavailable for purchase.

The coin controlled article delivery mechanism comprises a horizontalshaft 22 extending through the portion 14 of the cabinet on thelongitudinal center thereof, and this shaft 22 is journaled at itsopposite end portions into vertical side or end walls of the portion 15with its free ends projecting across the compartments 18 and 19 andjournaled in the outer end walls thereof. Secured on the intermediateportion of the shaft 22, and between the opposite side or end walls ofthe upper portion 15 of the cabinet, by means of a key or spline 23, isa delivery cy inder or drum, 24, in the peripheral face of which isformed a lurality of equidistantly spaced and longitudinally extendingarticle receiving slots or grooves 25, and similarly secured on thatportion of the shaft 22 which extends through the compartment 19, bymeans of a single key or spline 26-, is a pair of discs 27 and 28, and asleeve 29 spacing the discs 27 and 28 apart one from the other, whileloose ly journaled on the sleeve 29 is an annular collar 30 having asegmental arm 31 extending radially therefrom between the discs 27 and28 and having its outer curved edge or end portion projecting beyond theperipheral edges of the latter. Extending laterally from the outer sideface of the projected edge portion of the arm or segment 31 is a handcrank 32, which projects outwardly of the vertical end wall of thecompartment 19 through a slotway 33, which is curved on a lineapproximating the arc of the circle defined by that portion of'theperipheral face of the article delivery drum or cylinder 24 lyingbetween the centers of adjacent slots or grooves 25 thereof. The discs27 and 28 are each provided with a series of radially disposed slots 34,which are aligned one with the other and correspond in numin alignmentwith the lower end of a coin conducting slot-way 35 extending downwardlyof the compartment 19, so that, when a coin is inserted in the open end37 of the upwardly and forwardly curved portion 36 of the slot-way 35,the same will gravitate downwardly of the latter and seat itself Withinthe aligned slots 34 in a manner to span the space between the adjacentdiscs 27 and 28. The leading edge 31 of the arm or segment 31 isprovided with a pin projection 38 which is disposed thereon in a mannerto engage the approximate center of a coin b (Figures 4 and 7), when thehand crank 32 is pulled in a forward direction, so

that the arm or segment 31 and its collar. 30'

I most of the grooves or slots 25, in the cylinder'or drum 24, is movedinto registry with a discharge outlet 39 and discharges the articles aoutwardly therefrom and onto the top wall of the base portion 10 of thecabinet.

The cylinder or drum 24 and the discs 27 and 28 will now remainstationary, with the next succeeding slot or groove 25 of the former inposition to immediately have an article a deposited therein, and thenext succeeding pair of slots 34, of the discs 27 and 28, in

aligned position with the lower end of the coin conducting slotway 35,when the hand crank 31 can be pushed to its initial or normal rearwardlydisposed position. The hand crank .32 preferably has its outer endportion angularly bent as at 32, and is provided atits outer free endwith anoperating knob or hand grip 32"; i

For retaining the cylinder or 24 and the discs 27 and 28, with therespective slots 25 and 34 thereof in osition for-the seating therein ofan artic e a), on the one hand, and a coin b on the other hand, ashereinbefore explained, at the completion of each successive operationthereof, a locking member 40 is secured, by means of a ke or spline 41,on that portion of the she 22 which extends across the compartment 18,and this member 40 is in the form of a nutlike body having'a pluralityof flat faces corresponding in number to the number of slots 25 in thecylinder or drum 24, and the felt coins,

slot-way with pairs of slots 34 in thediscs 27 and 28, and

these faces are successively engaged by theflat free end portion 42 of aspring locking member 43, which is secured in proper position, by meansof a screw 44, to the rear wall of the compartment 18 for the-p'urpose.

For preventing the fraudulent operation of the machine by the insertionof a counterfeit coin into the slot-way, 35, a branch coin conductingslot-way 45 is ,provided within the compartment 19, is connected to theslot 35 at a oint below the upper curved end ortion 36 tgiereof, and isinclined downwardly and outwardly from its point of connection and opensoutwardly of the front wall of the cabinet portion 14 in a manner todischarge the counterfeit coin on the top wall of the base To effectthis separation and discharge downwardly of the branch slot-way 45 ofcountera magnet 46, preferably in the form of a permanent bar orhorse-shoe form of such magnets, is positioned immediately at the pointof connection of the branch the main slot-way 35 and acts to draw allfraudulent coins, containing a magnetic metal, out of the latter andcause the same to discharge by gravity downwardly of the former.

It is contemplated in the practical use of the present invention,,tqWend cigarettes a therefrom and to effect the delivery of one of thesame at a time for each coin I) inserted into the coinslot 37, and,assuming that the make of the cigarettes can be sold at a cent apieceand at a profit sufiicient to warrant v the payment of one cent for eachfive therecigarettes of vended from a machine, as a percentage orcommission to a proprietor of a store for the privilege of having themachine installed at his place of business, provision is made wherebythe first four coins or cents used to purchase a corresponding number ofand to effect that number of operations of the delivery mechanism of amachine, will be deposited in the coin receptacle or drawer 13 for thebenefit of the manufacturer or owner of the machine and of thecigarettes therein, while the fifth coin or cent, inserted in the coinslot '37 for the purpose of purchasing a fifth cigarette and to eflectthe fifth operation of the delivery mechanism, will be automaticalldeosited into the forward coin receptac e or drawer 12 for the benefitof the proprietor or store keeper granting the privilege for the placingof the machine, or machines at his place of business. This desiredseparation of every fifth coin or cent at the end of each completerevolution of the cylinder or drum 24 and of the discs 27 and 28, isreadily accomplished by means ofa switch plate 47 disposed within thecompartment 19 direct] beneath the discs 27 and 28, The plate 4 ispreferably of metal construction, and is portion 10 of the cabinet:

formed to provide an ear 48 disposed centrally of its lower face,throughthe transverse opening of which is passed a pivot pin v 49carried in a metal clip 50 engaged over and secured to the upper edge ofthe par- 7 tition wall 11 of the base portion 10 of the cabinet. Theplate 47 is normally tensioned in aforwardly inclined direction, bymeans of a spring 51 also engaged over and secured in position on thepartition wall 11 sub- 7 stantially as is shown in Figures 8 and 11, andin a manner to have its upper end edge disposed flush in the plane ofthe lower end edge of the inner curved surface of a front curved wallportion 52' enclosing the forward peripheries of the drum or cylinder24of the discs 27 and 28. Coins b seated in the pairs of slots 34successively. are retained in position therein until the lower ends ofthe curved wall portion 52' of the cabinet is reached during thesuccessive rotary movement of the discs 27 and 28, when the first fourof such coins b will successively drop onto-the uppermost face of theswitch plate 47 and will slide down the same and fall into thereceptacle or drawer 13. For effecting the desired discharge of thefifth of the coins 6 into the forward receptacle or drawer 12, a pin 53is extended radially from the peripheral edge of the disc 28 at a pointmedially, or ap roximately so, between the fourth and 1th of the slots34 therein, and-acts to engage the upper edge of the switch plate .47and to swing the same a rearwardly onthe pivot pin 49 to a reverselyinclined position, when the fifth of the coins b ulpon reaching thelower end of the curved wa 52, will drop onto the plate 47 and slidedown the same and fall into the said forward receptacle or'drawer 12.Further movement of the discs '27 and 28, as in the next succeedingoperation for the delivery of a cigarette a from the machine, causes thepin 53 to pass beyond the upper edge of the plate 47, when the latterwill be returned to normal position, by the action of the spring 51, andfor the purpose of directing the discharge of the next four coins btothe rear receptacle or drawer 13. It will be understood thatanydesired separation of the coins b may be made, by addlng additionalpins 53 at points between the slots 34 of the disc 28, and that more orless deliveries of articles, than the five as used merely for purposesof clearness in explanation herein, may be. delivered from the drum orcylinder 24 during its complete revolution thereof, by correspondinglyvarying the number of slots or grooves 25 in the peripheral surface ofthe same, the number 0 pairs of slots 34 in the discs 27 and 28 beingchanged accordingly.

As hereinbefore stated, the closure 17 at the upper end of the portion15 of the cabi-' net, is removable for the placing of a supply ofarticles within the latter, and to same to cause a proper feeding of thearticles a, to the several slots 25 of the delivery cylinder or drum 24,a follower 54 is preferably placed in position on top of the supply ofarticles for such plur ose. This follower 54 is preferably in ttransversely and longitudinally disposed resilient members or sprlngs 55and 56 arranged on the top face thereof, with their opposite endportions upwardly and rear.- wardly curved as at 55 and 56',respectively, for frictional sliding contact with the adjacent verticalwalls of the cabinet portion 15, whereb the weight of the follower w1llnot be free y borne by the articles, but only sufficiently so for theefi'ective feeding of the the delivery cylinder or drum 24. As shown inFigures 2 and 3, the base portion 10 of the cabinet is formed to providea removable end wall 57, which is to be locked in position by means of alocking device 58 secured at its inner side, and which is to bemanipulated by a key (not shown) insertable through a key-hole 59extending inwardly thereof. Upon the release of this locking means ordevice 58, the end'wall 57 is removed for givin immediate access to therear coin receptac e or drawer 13, while the receptacle or drawer 12will be provided with a separate locking device or means 59' preferablyin the form of a pad-lock or the ike, which cannot be opened with thesame key as that used for the unlocking of the end walls locking device58, but by a separate key (not shown), which will ordinarily be held bythe proprietor of the store at which the machine is located, so that thelatter only will have access to the receptacle or drawer 12 containingthe percentage amount of the sales from the machine. For the purpose ofprovidin space within the base portion 10 of the ca inet forthereception of the separate locking means 59' of the coin receptacle ordrawer 12, the latter is shorter than the rear receptacle or drawer 13,that" the adjacent end wall thereof is spaced inwardly from theremovable end wall 57 forthe purpose, and this end wall 'of thereceptacle or drawer is provided with a staple 60 for the engagementtherewith of a hasp 61, which is hin edly supported, as at 62, to theunder sur ace of the top wall or base portion 10 of the cabinet.

In the operation of the machine as thus constructed and arranged, anymanipulation of the hand crank 32 without a coin of the proper size andvalue being inserted in the coin slot 37, will only result in its freeplay lengthwise of the slot 33 in the side or end wall of thecompartment 19 of the cabinet, but upon the insertion or a proper i intothe slot 37,the same will gravitate downwardly of the coin duct orchannel 35 and seat itself in the pair of slots 34, of the discs 27 and28, which ,are registered with e orm of a plate having Iered .andillustrated herein in specific the lower end of the latter, when, uponmanipulation of the hand crank 32 in a forward direction, the lever arm31 will be moved to force its pin 38 against the center of the coinseated in the slot '34, so that further forward movement of the handcrank 32 and the lever arm 31 will result in the coupling of the latterto the shaft 22 through the medium of the coins b and the discs 27 and28. The completion of the forward movement of'the hand crank 32, nowrotates the shaft 22, and with it, the drum or cylinder 24, an articleor cigarette a having already seated itself in the uppermost of theslots or grooves 25 of the latter, whereby an article or cigarette isdelivfrom the slotted opening 39 at the front of the cabinet, while thecoin b is still retained in the slots 34 of the discs 27 and 28 occupiedthereby. If five slots or grooves 25 are employed on the deliverycylinder or drum 24, and a corresponding number of pairs of slots 34, onthe discs 27 and 28, the movement of the delive will be one-fifth of arevo utiton thereof, for each coin inserted into the coin slot 37, andduring continued the slots or grooves pairs of slots 34 of besuccessively'positioned to receive the article a on the one hand fromits compartment 16, and the coins I; inserted in the slot 37 on theother hand, retrograde movement of the shaft 22, and consequently of thedrum and discs, being prevented by the action of the spring 43 on theproper locking face of the member or nut 40 keyed on the shaft 22.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that, while a preferredembodiment of the vending machine has been described terms and detailsof construction, arrangement and operation, various changes in andmodifications of-the same may be resorted to without departing from thespirit of the invention, or the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed, is

1. In a vending mechanism, a receptacle provided with a partitionforming a pair of coin receiving compartments, a spring controlledelement pivotally connected to said partition and normall positioned todeposit coins into one 0 said compartments during a predetermined numberof operations of the vendingmechanism of the machine, and means.engaging with said element for shifting the same from normal position tocause the depositing of a single coin into the other of saidcompartments after each redetermined number of operations of saiddelivery mechanism.

2. In a vending-mechanism, a'receptacle provided with a partitionforming a pair 25, of the drum 24, an

drum and discs 1,460,882 r i B of coin receiving compartments, a springthe other of said compartments after each 10 controlled elementpivotally connected to predetermined number of operations of said saidpartition and normally positioned to delivery mechanism, and means forrestordeposit coins into one of said compartments ing said element tonormal position after the a during a predetermined number of operasinglecoin has been deposited.

tions of the vending mechanism of the ma- In testim0ny.whereof I afiixmy signature 15 chine, means engagin with said element hereto. forshifting the same rom normal position to cause the depositing of asingle coin into WILLIAM BET'IS

